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Liberal Place: Los Angeles, CA
These are comments on Los Angeles, submitted by other Turn Left visitors. They do not necessarily represent the opinion of the webmaster. You may add a comment on Los Angeles if you want.
Los Angeles, CA is an extremely liberal city. Venice beach is a true liberal hangout where you will find that virtually every activity under the sun by anyone is permitted. Go down to Santa Monica, the bastion of economic liberalism, and you will see inexpensive rent control apartments right next to condos worth a fortune. The labor movement is alive and well at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port right adjacent to million dollar homes. A few miles north on Pacific Coast Highway is Malibu, home of the stars and studio executives--all very very liberal. West Hollywoods liberalism is balanced by the San Fernando Valley. Have fun in L.A., but remember to bring your car....for NO ONE WALKS IN L.A.....not even the liberals.

...and another comment...

It's true that Los Angeles is a heavily Democratic, extremely socially liberal city (and, for the most part, county), but many of the places mentioned above aren't in Los Angeles itself. Santa Monica, Malibu, and West Hollywood are in the County but not the City itself. Los Angeles tolerates practically everyone; the few Republicans elected to office there (like mayor Richard Riordan) still take liberal stances on social issues. The local Sierra Club chapter, for example, has over one million members!

However, the city's liberalism doesn't always extend to economic issues. Even with rent control (in Santa Monica and West Hollywood only), housing prices are still extremely high. The gap between the rich and poor -- between the barrio of East LA and the glitterati atop Mulholland Drive -- rivals many a Third World country. Proposition 13 depleted the treasuries of local governments, leading to atrophied schools, parks, libraries, hospitals, fire brigades, welfare offices, and other locally administered services. Still, strong labor, Green, and other leftist movements have strong followings here -- Pacifica Radio's largest station is based in LA.

Oh, and people _do_ walk in Los Angeles. Strolling along the beaches; shopping in Westwood, Old Town Pasadena, or Santa Monica; seeing the cultural sights downtown; hiking in Griffith Park or in the San Gabriel Mountains. Southern California may not be perfect for walking, but neither is it a driver's paradise (thanks to noodle-soup interchanges, perpetual congestion, high gas prices, and deadly air quality). Bringing a car to LA is sillier than bringing coals to Newcastle.

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